A Fire In Gryffindor
by silverbutterfly13
Summary: The Weasley brother's decide to scare the Gryffindor girls by hiding a couple of their newest creation -Weasley Whizzbangs- in the girls dormitory. But what starts as a practical joke turns into a huge mess, and what follows is something /no one/ could have expected. HarryxGinny
1. Chapter 1

Harry sat at one of the tables in his dorm, trying desperately to finish the 10 page paper on The Meanings of the Stars for his Divination class, immensely regretting his procrastination. As he finished the last paragraph, he heard a faint series of "pops" from the girls dormitory, followed by high-pitched screams. Many looked up, unsure of what was happening. Girls started tumbling down the stairs, rushing to escape from... something. Harry jumped up from his seat, straining to see what was going on.

"FIRE!" someone screamed. The sharp smell of smoke hit him seconds later. The prefects rushed to open the door, trying desperately to evacuate students in an orderly manner (and not succeeding). Harry could think of only one thing as he scanned the heads for a person with bright red hair, becoming more frantic with every passing second he could not find them.

"HELP ME!" he heard someone scream from upstairs. He rushed to the stairs, but when he attempted to climb up, the stairs turned into a slide. The spell keeping boys from entering the girls dormitory, to his dismay, was doing its job perfectly. He spun around, needing to find a way to help the girl upstairs. He reached out and grabbed the arm of the closest female he saw. The girl was yanked to a halt, and she whirled her head around to find who had grabbed her arm. She recognized him instantly, but, of course, who _didn't_ know "The-Boy-Who-Lived"?

"Harry, what are you doing? We need to get out of here!" she sputtered.

"There's someone trapped up there, and I can't go up the stairs because of that bloody spell!" he shouted above the noise.

The girls brow furrowed. "Cover me," she yelled back, and ran up the stairs. When she reached the top step, the heat from the flames hit her like a wall. She stumbled back, but regained her balance and charged forward. She drew her wand from the protective folds of her robe. Pointing it at the highest flame, she shouted, "Aguamenti!". The water hit the flames with a hiss, most of it evaporating on contact. It barely made a dent in the huge flames. She lowered her wand, knowing she wouldn't be able to put out very much of the fire before it would consume her as well. She was quickly running out of oxygen."Is anyone here?" she called out. She coughed, her lungs already aching from the inhaled smoke. She heard a muffled groan from one of the beds. Stepping forward, she called out again, "Where are you?" She ducked as a beam from one of the beds fell. It would have hit her had she not dodged to the side.

"I'm over here!" a weak voice called. The girl stumbled forward, and tripped over an unidentifiable object. She fell, barely catching herself on one of the mattresses. She squinted in the smoke, and spotted movement about 6 feet to her right. She rushed toward the figure, raising her arms above her head, trying to protect her head and face from the searing heat. When she reached the crouched figure, she knelt, and reached out to grab the girl's hand protruding from a mass of blankets. Part of the blanket slipped off the second girl's head, and her identity became known. It was Ginny Weasley.

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I'm not sure if I will write a second chapter to this or not. :/ I had the idea in a burst of inspiration, but there are other stories I want to write and add too that I've been procrastinating on. If you would like to read more, please let me know, otherwise I'll probably just leave this as it is.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry watched the girl disappear up the stairs, wishing he could do something-anything-to help. He felt useless, unable to be the hero in this situation. He followed everyone out of the common room, and started looking for a nearby prefect so he could alert them of the two girls still inside. He heard his name being called, and turned towards the voice. He was practically run over by the Weasley twins, who wore identical (no pun intended) expressions of horror. "Harry, there you are! Have you seen Ginny anywhere?" questioned Fred, panic evident in his voice.

Harry was unsure how to answer. He didn't want to scare them, but he _had_ to tell them. "I think Ginny is still inside," he finally told them bluntly. All the color drained from the two boy's faces.

"Oh god..." said George, covering his mouth with his hand. "We have to save her!" he cried, grabbing his brother's arm and pulling him back to the dorms. Harry reached out and snagged George's sleeve, yanking him back.

"No! It's too dangerous to go in there! You'll die from breathing in smoke, or at the very least, pass out from lack of oxygen! We need to put out the fire, then we can save them!" he yelled at the brothers, who looked back at him with dismayed expressions. "We need to tell a professor what's going on," he pressed on. George nodded, grim.  
The boys started pushing through the throng of panicked students, searching for a prefect or teacher. Harry breathed out as sigh of relief as he spotted Professor McGonagall walking swiftly down the stairs, followed by a group of teachers. He turned and grabbed Fred's sleeve, and Fred in turn George's. They hurried over to McGonagall, trying to push past the students already surrounding her, all vying for her attention.

"A fire!"

"In the girls dormitory!"

"It just happened out of nowhere!" voices rang out, trying to relay what had happened to the group of teachers now assembled in the hallway.

"Quiet, please!" McGonagall commanded in a stern voice. The shouts died down, and the prefects quickly explained to the adults what was happening. McGonagall scowled, then started pushing past the students towards the common rooms.

"Professor McGonagall!" Harry cried out, trying to be seen and heard in the crowd, "There are girls still trapped in the common rooms!" McGonagall's looked over at Harry. Her scowl vanished, and was quickly replaced with a look of horror.

"Quickly!" she called to the others teachers, who followed her with looks of worry. Harry turned back to the twins, and was startled to find George slumped on the ground, head buried in his hands. Fred was sitting next to him, arm around his shoulders.

"This all our faults. Mum'll kill us when she finds out!" George said, his words muffled through his hands.

"What are you talking about?" Harry demanded, "What did you do?"

George shook his head. "It was just a joke... It was just supposed to startle the girls. This wasn't meant to happen!" he cried out.

Harry knelt in front of him, trying to figure out George's nonsensical speech. His face went slack as it dawned on him what the twin was saying. "You mean... you did this?" he cried, "You started the fire!? What in bloody hell were you thinking!" he shouted furiously. George just shook his head again.

"Just a joke. Just a harmless prank..." he whimpered.

Harry stood up, enraged beyond words. Turning on his heel, he started running towards the common rooms, abandoning the brothers in the hall. He rushed past huddled groups of 3rd years, turning the corner to see a huge group of Professors and students casting spells to put out the fire that had started creeping down the stairs. He joined the group; pulling out his wand and pointing it at the flames, he shouted over and over, "Aguamenti!" Seconds later, there appeared several figures at the top of the stairs. Harry recognized Professor McGonagall, and under each arm was a teenage girl, both slumped over, feet dragging. The female prefects raced up the stairs to help McGonagall, and they half-carried the girls the rest of the way down the stairs. Harry watched the two girls be carried out the door, probably to be taken to the infirmary. Although he wanted to follow them, he forced himself to stay and help put out more of the flames. Several of the professors started up the stairs to put out the now dying fire. After several minutes of waiting on the students behalf, they emerged. After the last of the flames were gone, Harry stumbled out of the room into the hall, slumping down against a wall. He took several deep breaths, clearing his lungs of smoke. He hoisted himself up after a minute, needing to find the girls and see how they were doing. He walked quickly to the infirmary, passing soot covered students. When he reached the door of the infirmary, he paused and took in a shaky breath. Ginny was lying on one of the beds, a blanket pulled up to her chest. She looked mostly unharmed. Surrounding her were Ron, Fred, George, and Hermione, who stood up and ran over to Harry, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Thank god you're safe! I had no clue what was happening, I was in the library with Ron! They wouldn't let us into the common rooms. Is everything okay now?" she spoke in a rush.

"Yeah, everything is fine now. The fire is out. They're probably salvaging anything that can be saved. How's Ginny? And the other girl?"

"Other girl?" Hermione frowned, "Oh! There was another girl who came in too, she's over there," she pointed to a curtain-enclosed bed in the far corner, "Madame Pomfrey is attending to her, I think." Harry nodded, and started walking over to the bed. Pulling back the curtain slightly, he inhaled suddenly at the sight of the badly burned girl. Her arms and hands were wrapped in gauze, and her face bright red and covered in first degree burns. She was asleep, her breathing ragged but even. He dropped the curtain and squeezed his eyes closed, the image burned in his mind. Turning around, he walked to where Ginny lay. When he reached her side, her eyes opened and she gave him a weak smile, then closed her eyes again.

Fred stood up, and looked at Harry with remorseful eyes. "Harry... We're really sorry. Please don't be mad at us. We'll never do something like that again." he pleaded.

"What caused the fire?" Harry asked brusquely.

"I think it was a fire-cracker," came a soft voice. All heads turned to look at Ginny, who was staring at Harry with an intense focus. "I... I was reading a book, and all of a sudden there was a loud bang and a bunch of sparks. Girls started screaming, and the sparks.. they landed everywhere. Things started catching on fire, and it happened so fast. We tried to put out the flames, but it was like they had a mind of their own. They spread like a wildfire, consuming everything they touched. I tried to escape with the rest of the girls, but something hit me on my back. I couldn't see what it was, but it knocked me down. I was trapped somehow. I yanked the blankets off the bed and wrapped them around me. I tried to call for help, but no one seemed to hear me. I tried to get up again, but I couldn't. I was so scared, and my lungs... I couldn't breathe. I thought I heard someone calling out, but I couldn't tell. I heard a voice again, and that time I responded. I think a beam from one of the beds fell, and suddenly someone was there next to me. I reached out and grabbed their hand, and then I blacked out." She fell quiet, and looked back at Harry, who wore a concerned expression along with everyone else. "When I finally came to, I was here," she gave another small smile.

Harry nodded, not sure what to say. "You should get some more rest," he finally said, and turned to find a chair to sit down on. He sat with the group for about 15 minutes, until Madame Pomfrey came over to shoo them out, all except for Harry.

"The young woman over there is asking for you, boy. Come see what she wants, and then off with you, too," she told him, then turned and walked back to her office. Harry turned to his friends and shrugged, then waved and started walking over to the girl. He realized suddenly that he did not even know her name, but he was determined to find out. He pulled back the curtain again and stepped inside. The girl looked at him with tired bright green eyes and gave out a rusty laugh. Harry frowned, unsure what she was laughing at. She sighed and shook her head slightly.

"I never thought that I'd ever do anything that bold in my life," she said in a raspy voice. Clearing her throat, she continued, "Is Ginny okay? I don't remember much... I blacked out. She made it out, didn't she?" she asked nervously.

Harry nodded quickly, "Of course, yeah, she's fine. But as for you..." he gestured to her bandaged arms, and she looked down as if just noticing them.

"Oh..." she said quietly. She looked back at Harry and grimaced, "It could be worse." Harry gave a small smile, and raked his hand through his hair. He shuffled, unsure of what he should say.

"Um.. was there something you wanted to ask me?" he said uncertainly.

She nodded, "I wanted to ask you, why did you grab _my_ arm? Certainly there was someone else around that you could have told." she asked curiously.

Harry fidgeted uncomfortably, and looked down at his hands, which were fiddling with the edge of her blanket. "I'm sorry. I just stopped the first girl I saw. There was no specific reason that it was you whom I got involved in that mess. And it was stupid of me to act so spontaneous. If I hadn't stopped you, you wouldn't be hurt. I'm really sorry..." he spoke quietly. A warm hand suddenly covered his own, and he looked up. The girls eyes shone bright with unshed tears.

"It is _not_ your fault for what happened to me. I made the choice to go upstairs. I chose to go help Ginny, and I don't regret that decision. You can't blame yourself for what happened to me, understand?" she chided softly. Harry nodded.

"Can you forgive me?" he asked.

She smiled, and this time it was one of amusement. "Of course," she replied. Harry smiled back at her.

"So I have one last question," he said. "What's your name?"

The girl paused before answering, "Lily. Lily Evans."

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So what do you think?! Any good? I wrote this in pretty much one sitting, so I'm sorry if it's not that great... *sob* But I hope that you enjoyed it anyways. ^.^ Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and followed. It really means a lot to me. :DD Let me know if I should provide a rope for this cliff-hanger ;) Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

Harry lay on his bed, still processing the events of the day. He couldn't fall asleep, although he knew he desperately needed to rest. But there was too many thoughts whirling around in his head, and it was proving impossible to drift off. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Padding down the short hallway, he paused in the doorway of the common rooms. It smelled strongly of smoke still, but was otherwise unharmed. All the Gryffindor females were sleeping in the Great Hall until the girls dorm had been refurbished and cleared for safety. Harry plopped down on one of the plush armchairs by the fireplace, which still had a small fire burning; probably being tended to by the house-elves. He stared into the flames and let his mind drift back to the hospital. He thought of the girl, the girl who had only said two words, words that had struck a chord deep in his heart. For that name... Lily Evans... was one that he thought about every day. One that haunted his thoughts every night before he fell asleep. The name of his mother, who had sacrificed her life to save his. And this girl... this stranger, had turned his world upside-down. Right after she had told him her name, Madame Pomfrey had bustled over and shooed him out. He couldn't even get in a word of protest. He had tried to go back later, but Madame Pomfrey wouldn't let him in, saying that Lily was asleep and wasn't to be disturbed. Harry felt extremely frustrated. He wanted the girl to give him an explanation. Who was she? Why did she have his mother's name? Could it possibly be that somehow... No. It couldn't be. Was it even be possible? Could this teenage Lily Evans have traveled from the past into his present? Harry let his head fall back, and he stared at the ceiling as if would give him the answers he wanted. He closed his eyes and let exhaustion overcome him. His last thought was of an image of his mother sitting next to his father, holding a baby version of himself. He wasn't sure if it was a memory, or just a hope for something he had never known.

When he woke the following morning, he was still in the chair, but he realized he was no longer wearing his glasses and had a blanket covering him. He vaguely wondered who had been the one thoughtful enough to perform these small acts of kindness, but he figured it had probably been one of the house-elves on night duty. He made a mental note to stop by the kitchen later in the day to thank them. He looked out the window and saw the first rays of sunlight peaking over the mountains, signifying the start of a new day. He rubbed his eyes, gave a small sigh, hoisted himself out of the chair, and tossing the blanket behind him onto the cushion. He padded back down the hall, needing a hot shower and a fresh set of clothes. He was surprised to see Ron sitting up in his bed, reading a Quidditch magazine. He glanced up when Harry entered the room, but only gave a small nod before turning back to his magazine. Harry walked over to his bed and pulled out a clean set of robes. He pulled on his slippers and padded to the boys bathroom. After a long, hot shower, he dressed and headed towards the Great Hall, where he hoped he would find the girls awake and breakfast being served. He was relieved to find that breakfast was already started. His mouth watered at the scent of cinnamon rolls and bacon. His stomach growled, and he found that he was hungrier than he had originally thought. He spotted Hermione sitting at the Gryffindor table, and she waved when she saw him standing at the doorway. He strolled over to the table and plopped down next to her, grabbing a plate and serving himself large helpings of assorted breakfast foods. "Morning Hermione," he said almost as an afterthought.

"Good morning to you also. Did you sleep well?" she replied.

Harry swallowed a large gulp of pumpkin juice before answering, "Kind of. I couldn't get to sleep at first, so I went into the common rooms. I guess I just fell asleep there, since when I woke up I was still in the chair." he shoveled a spoonful of scrambled eggs into his mouth.

Hermione frowned, "I hope you didn't get in the way of those poor house-elves. Goodness knows they have enough work to do already."

Harry looked chagrined, but continued to eat. Hermione sighed and went back to her book. As Harry was finishing up, Ron sat down next to him.

"Hullo," he greeted his two friends, grabbing a plate and serving himself.

"Morning Ron," Hermione said cheerfully, giving him a quick smile and then returning to her book. Harry was surprised at how calm it was. It seemed like after the previous day's events, things might be a bit hectic, but to an outsider it would look like a completely normal day. Harry pushed his plate away, and it vanished into the table, transported magically to the kitchen for the house-elves to clean. It was truly amazing, Harry thought, that the house-elves accomplished so much throughout the day. With all the going-ons around the castle, they managed to keep everything neat and orderly, no matter what was happening. He stood up and gave his friends a wave goodbye, heading out through the huge wood doors. He decided it was late enough to go and see Lily without waking her. Hopefully this time Madame Pomfrey would let him in. He reached the doors of the infirmary, and pushed the door open just wide enough to stick his head in. He scanned the room for Madame Pomfrey, but to his surprise, she was nowhere to be seen. He opened the door the rest of the way and stepped inside. His eyes wandered to the bed Ginny had been in. She had been released the same day as she had been admitted, as Madame Pomfrey had decided that she was fine, but had directed her to drink plenty of water and to make sure she didn't do anything that might irritate her skin. He eyes darted to Lily's bed, which still had the curtains enclosing it. He walked towards the bed, and hesitated before pulling aside the curtain. To his complete shock and dismay, it was empty, the sheets clean and the bed newly made. Lily Evans was gone.

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Sorry for the wait and the pretty short chapter, I've been pretty busy as of late. Let me know what you think of this chapter, I've been debating where I want to take it and I'm still not quite sure what I want to have happen. :/ I hope you all enjoyed, please review if you did!


	4. Chapter 4

A.N/ Finally an update! Lol, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I loved writing it. This chapter kind of dives into the ocean that is Harry/Ginny, so for those who ship them, here you go. :)

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"Excuse me, what are you doing in here?" called a voice from behind Harry. He whirled around to see Madame Pomfrey standing in the doorway, a stern expression on her face. Harry turned bright red, embarrassed at being caught where he was not supposed to be. "If you're looking for the girl, I let her go this morning. She seemed to have healed just fine overnight, not that the salve and medicine I gave her had anything to do with it," she continued, sarcastically. Harry felt a rush of relief pass through him. He had panicked for a second at the sudden disappearance of the girl.

"Do you know where she is now?" he asked the now annoyed nurse.

"No, I don't. But I suggest you go and look for her. Goodbye, now," she said in a final tone, obviously dismissing him. Harry looked down and walked quickly past her out the door. He paused in the hall, debating on where to look first. He decided to go back to the Great Hall and see if she had been there for breakfast yet. Lost in thought, he did not realize that someone was following him, trailing a few dozen feet behind him. When he walked through the doors into the Great Hall, the follower hesitated, but continued walking, the figure's predatory gaze locked on its prey until he was no longer in sight. Harry had an odd sensation that he was being watched, but when he turned to look, there was no one in sight. He shook it off as jitters, and scanned the Great Hall for a red-haired girl, but the one he found was not the one he had intended to find. Ginny gave him a bright smile and stood up. Harry smiled back at her, and they started walking towards each other.

"Hey there," Harry said softly, "How're you feeling?" Ginny laughed lightly.

"Stop worrying, would you? I'm fine," she chastised him. Harry grinned at her, glad she was in a good enough spirit to tease him.

"By the way, have you seen a girl around with red hair? Kind of like yours..." He reached out and picked up a lock of Ginny's hair, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

"Not that I remember. Why?" she replied. Her eyes widened slightly, "Oh, are you looking for the girl that tried to rescue me yesterday? I wondered where she was, I wanted to thank her. I'll help you look for her." She grinned at him.

"Yeah, that'd be great. I was going to check the library next." He nodded his head towards the door, "Shall we go?"

"Sure," she replied, stepping past him and starting for the door. Harry followed behind her, a silly smile playing on his lips. They started down the corridor to the library. As they rounded the corner, a large group of Hufflepuff girls appeared, presumably headed to the Great Hall for a late breakfast. Harry reached out and grabbed Ginny's hand, yanking her out of the path of the distracted girls, who would have run her over otherwise. Ginny's face flushed, and she looked down to Harry's hand, which was still clasping hers. Harry's face turned a bright red, and he gave her a shy smile before tugging her onwards. Ginny's face split into a bright grin, and she followed him, no words needed for communication to be effective. After walking through the impossibly long hallways, they reached the library. They split up to check the aisles for the girl, and although Harry caught a few unsuspecting couples in the middle of a 'hot-n-heavy' make-out session, he did not find the person he was searching for. He walked back to the front of the library to wait for Ginny, who appeared after a minute with a bright red face.

"I just ran into Ron and Lavender snogging in the "Care of Magical Creatures" section. I am quite possibly scarred for life now," she said humorously. Harry gave a low chuckle. He felt a soft tug on his sleeve suddenly, and turned to find a young student standing behind him, wide-eyed and staring up at him in awe. Harry smiled at the child awkwardly.

"Yes?" he asked, not unkindly. The child blinked, and thrust out a folded piece of parchment. Harry reached out and tugged it from the child's grasp, flipping it open.

"From Professor Dumbledore," the small girl said in a high-pitched voice. The note was written in slanted, neat cursive. _Please come see me in my office, Harry, I have something of great importance that I must discuss with you. The password is "Sorting Hat". _Harry turned and looked at Ginny, a concerned expression on his face. Turning back to the child, he nodded.

"Thanks," he said with a small smile. The girl grinned at him and then turned and took off, her braids bouncing on her small shoulders as she ran down the hall.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked him after the girl had rounded the corner.

"It's a note from Dumbledore. He says he needs to see me, something important," he said nervously, folding up the parchment and tucking it into his robes. "I should go see what he needs," he added.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Ginny asked him, a note of hope in her voice. Harry smiled at her, but shook his head.

"I think he means I should show up alone," he said softly. Ginny gave a small pout, but nodded.

"I'll see you later, then," she replied, and turned to walk away, glancing over her shoulder to give him a smile and a wave. Harry raised his hand in a partial wave back, then let his arm drop and sighed. Was he having feelings for Ginny? That wasn't good. If Ron found out that his best friend was crushing on his little sister, things could turn out horribly, and he did _not_ want to lose his best friend over something like that.

He started down the hall, walking as if in a trance, deep in thought. When he arrived at Dumbledore's office, he looked up in surprise, not remembering his journey there. He spoke the password to the gargoyle, and the statue ground against the marble floor, revealing the ascending stone staircase. He started up the smooth marble steps, and paused at the ornate wooden door before giving 3 sharp raps. "Enter," called a voice from inside the room. Harry opened the door and stepped inside, letting the door thud closed behind him. Professor Dumbledore sat behind his desk, hands folded in front of him, smiling. Harry's eyes wandered to the chair placed opposite Dumbledore, and he realized with a start that there was someone occupying the seat. The figure turned to look at him, and he froze when he met a pair of hazel eyes. He was looking at... himself?

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Yayy I finally updated after half a month! I'm not sure if that's good or bad... XP I hope you guys enjoyed, please review if you did and let me know what you think so far! I'm planning on tossing in another plot twist, so I hope that you guys continue reading. Thank you to all that reviewed, favorited, and added me on your alert list. Stay awesome!~


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